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Reichenbach Falls

City: Meiringen State: N/A Country: Switzerland

The Reichenbach Falls (Reichenbachfall) are a series of waterfalls near Meiringen, Switzerland. They have a total drop of 250 m (820 ft). At 90 m (295.2 ft), the Upper Reichenbach Falls is one of the highest cataracts in the Alps. The falls are made accessible by the Reichenbachfall-Bahn funicular railway. Today, a hydro-electric power company harnesses the flow of the Reichenbach Falls during certain times of year, greatly reducing its flow.The five cascades that make up the Reichenbach falls have a total drop of some 250 m (820 ft) and the Upper Falls are one of the longest individual cascades in the Alps. The lower falls, where the noise of the water crashing onto the rocks is overwhelming, are within walking distance of the village, but the train ride to reach the upper falls is a must, as it criss-crosses the rushing waters below. In seven minutes, it whisks you up 244 m (800 ft). A narrow trail leads to the top of the falls, where it is far quieter than at their foot. From the mountain rescue hut, a trail leads round to good spots for viewing the spectacular falls and the Hash Valley.The falls are a wonderful sight in late spring and early summer, as the waters rush, splash and tumble down the shining black rocks into the gorge and clouds of spray rise like smoke. However, the falls are as well known for their literary connection: on the other side of the falls, accessed via a little footbridge, is a white star marking the place where, in Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Final Problem, Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty grappled before falling together into the 'boiling pit'.